"The Hunger Games" trilogy appears on "challenged" books list

Scholastic Press

(CBS/AP) As "The Hunger Games" trilogy becomes more popular, more parents and educators are questioning whether it belongs on school library shelves at all.

For the second year in a row, Suzanne Collins' work was among the most "challenged" books, as reported Sunday by the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. The association defines a challenge as "a formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that a book or other material be restricted or removed because of its content or appropriateness."

In last year's list, when just the title book of the trilogy was in the top 10, complaints included "sexually explicit" and "unsuited to age group and violence." Collins herself acknowledged her dystopian stories were not for everyone, telling The Associated Press at the time that she had heard "people were concerned about the level of violence in the books. That's not unreasonable. They are violent. It's a war trilogy."

For the new study, which also included "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay," the objections were more varied, and harsher, including "Anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence."

Barbara Jones, director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, thinks anticipation for the "Hunger Games" film led to closer criticism of the books.

"For instance, there was complaining about the choice of actors for the film," Jones says. "You had people saying someone was dark-skinned in the book, but not in the film, or dark-skinned in the film and not in the book. In general, a lot more people were aware of the books and that led to more kinds of complaints."

Collins declined comment through spokeswoman Tracy van Straaten of publisher Scholastic Inc. Van Straaten said Scholastic also would have no comment.

Collins' million-selling novels ranked No. 3 on the association's list, rising from No. 5 last year.

[GGirl55]

I am on the third installment of the trilogy. While I understand the concerns over the violence (it is, after all, a story about resistance and war), I don't get the anti-family label. The heroine of the story, from the outset, sacrifices her own safety to save her sister from the lottery (reaping).

The same can be said of the anti-ethnic and satanic/occult charges against The Hunger Games trilogy.

[Book_Reader81]

People say the books are violent and sexually explicit...well the violence is correct but if you label kissing as sexually explicit then this world is in more trouble than we all realize. We have children having sex and getting pregnant in the 6th and 7th grade and we are worried about a sinking book. Get off your high horse and tend to the matters that really matter...it's just a book people get over it, if you don't want to read it or have your family read it then don't but do not force your ignorance on to others.

[AGGmdgirl]

I think Hunger Games should not be band by the way.

[AGGmdgirl]

I think banning books is not a good way to make your kids not read them. If you don't want your kids to read these books just tell them. There have been a plethora of books that I have read that some people have wanted to ban them from libraries. Some of the latter include Harry Potter books, The Outsiders, and To Kill a Mocking Bird.Now i am reading Fahrenheit 451 which is also a banned book. These books have truly made a difference in my life because i had to read them in class and the books were really inspiring for me. I think if people don't want to read these books then don't come in contact with them then. I don't think you should ban a book for the whole world just so that you can be happy that no one can read that particular book in the library.

[wa1wallace]

I don't remember anything "sexually explicit" in any of the three books. This tells me that most likely, the people using this excuse either don't know how to read, or simply did not read any of the books. Although I personally would not recommend the books for anyone under 16, I think generalizing, by not having the books in schools is pretty creepy. This argument reminds me of the "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl a few years ago; people were embracing the concept that the Super Bowl is a family event, but nudity is bad. Since when did the apex of a violent sport become a family event?

[AttyFAM]

One thing is certain. Now that a few people want to ban the books, ten times as many will read them as otherwise would have.

[mollydtt]

That is true. Plus, I'd bet that the book gets downloaded digitally a lot.

[jbright9]

If your kids watch TV, they won't be exposed to anything worse by reading these. Appropriate for middle school up.

[jfa1968]

as long it doesn't contain salt or drippy cheese, it should be fine

[SocialWrkrKP]

Here we go people. Soon we won't be teaching our children about anything that happened in history that was "violent". We are going to raise a generation of unprepared, sheltered, waifs with no opinions. Not a world I want to live in.

[sunide]

YES - LET's BAN BOOK!!! WHooHOO! Because this IS America... Right??? ?? ??????

Please. The book has some violence. Are schools going to remove EVERY book that has violence. Poor Shakespeare. That would mean his books - GONE. George Orwell - GONE.

Does that mean ban books with immoral content - Scarlett letter - GONE.

How many other books with QUESTIONABLE content would be GONE?!?!?